Ladder



Nov. 4, 1930.

A. P. KETTMANN ET AL 1,780,263

LADDER Filed Nov. 8, l928 Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES. PATENTOFFICE ANDREW 1P. KETTMANN AND IRVIN W. ANDERSON, OF SAN JOSE,CALIFORNIA LADDER Application filed November 8, 1928. Seria1 No 317,917.

This invention relates particularly to that type of ladder generallyknown as an orchard ladder.

It is the common experience of those who use a ladder of this type thatwhen the ladder is placed upon soft ground the placing of anyconsiderable weight upon the ladder will cause either one or both of theladder sides to sink into the ground. If the disposition of the weighton the ladder or the nature of the ground is such that one side of theladder sinks below the level of the other, then the lack of suitablesupports for the ladder sides renders its use dangerous since it mayresult in the breaking of tree limbs and the displacement of the personon the ladder. Furthermore where the ladder is allowed to sink into theground much valuable time and labor are wasted in moving it from oneplace to another and in finding a suitable place for it to rest whenmoved.

It is one'object of the present invention to provide a means foreffectually preventing either side of a ladder from sinking into theground upon which it is placed.

It is another object of the invention to pro vide a means of thecharacter indicated that will effectually prevent lateral tilting of theladder when placed upon ground of unequal softness. I

It is still another object of the invention to provide a means of thecharacter indicated that may be readily applied to ladders in the fieldor in the shop. 7 I Finally, it is an object of the invention to providea means of the character indicated that will be economical tomanufacture, light in weight, strong, durable, and highly efficient inits practical application.

In the drawing:

The figure is a perspective illustration of a device embodying ourinvention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, we show at 1 a piece ofsheet metal 45 adapted to overlie the inner surface of the lower end ofthe side part 2 of a ladder, this part 1 having its two side edgesturned outwardly as at 3-3 to overlap the front and rear edges of theladder side 2 as shown, throughout a portion of its length.

The lower portion of the part 1 is turned outwardly as shown at 4 and atsubstantially right angles to the part 1, but this angle may be variedas desired to secure desired results. One edge of part 4 is left in theplane of the said part 4, but the opposite edge is turned downwardly asat 5 to provide a grip.

At 6 is shown a brace member secured to the upper surface of part 4 bymeans of a nut and bolt as 7, the other end of the brace belng seatedagainst the outer surface of the ladder side 2 and secured in place by abolt 8 passing through the brace, the ladder side, and the plate 1, asshown.

The foot above described is one of a pair, and is adapted to be mountedupon the lower end of the side of the ladder that is upon the right ofthe person positioned as though about to ascend the ladder. The otherfoot is similarly made but-with the laterally extending parts reversed.

Assume a ladder to have been equipped with two feet as above set forthand positloned upon ground that has been recently irrigated and is stillsoft. The downwardly turned flanges 5 will first enter the ground andeffectually prevent the ladder from slipplng outwardly at its base andhelp to hold the soil in a more compact mass under the plate 4; that isit will prevent the wet soil from oozing upwardly along that edge uponwhich the greater weight is first placed.

The lower end of the ladder part 2 rests upon the plate 4 and alsobearsagainst the brace 6, so that when the parts 4 are firmly a ladder,will effectually support it as desired upon ground of any character.

; It'is to be understood, of course, that while we have herein shown anddescribed but one embodiment of our invention, changes in form,construction and method of assembly and application may be made withinthe scope of the appended claim.

e claim:

The combination With a ladder of a foot comprising a body portionadapted to overlie the inner surface of the lower portion of the ladderside and means for securing the same rigidly to the ladder side, and aground engaging plate extending laterally from the said body portion andpassing beneath the ladder side, and bracing means. inserted ,betweenthe said plate and the outer side of the ladder. v

IRVIN W. ANDERSON. ANDREW P. KETTMANN.

